Okay, so the other day I was really in the mood for some gritty crime drama, you know, the kind that really gets under your skin. I’d recently rewatched Donnie Brasco, and man, that movie still holds up. Al Pacino and Johnny Depp are just phenomenal. But it left me wanting more in that same vein. So, I decided to dig around and find some similar movies.
First, I brainstormed. What was it about Donnie Brasco that I loved so much? The undercover aspect, the tension, the moral ambiguity, the 70s/80s setting… all of that. I wanted something that felt real, not some over-the-top Hollywood action flick.
I started with a simple Google search, typing in things like “movies like Donnie Brasco” and “best undercover cop movies”. That gave me a bunch of lists to work with. Some of the obvious ones popped up: The Departed, Serpico, Prince of the City. I’d seen The Departed (great movie!), but the others were new to me.
Then, I dove into some film forums and Reddit threads. I figured real movie buffs would have some good, less obvious suggestions. And they did! I found some interesting titles like We Own the Night, Black Mass,and a few older ones I’d never heard of.
My Watchlist
- Serpico:I kepy seeing this everywhere, so this is moved up to my must watch very soon.
- Prince of the City: Same as Serpico, seemed like essential viewing for this particular subgenre.
- We Own the Night:This one looked intense, with Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg. I am always in on Marky Mark.
- Black Mass: Another Johnny Depp flick, based on a true story. Seemed super dark.
- American Gangster: Always saw this and never got around to watch it.
I compiled my list, checked out some trailers on YouTube to get a feel for the movies, and narrowed it down to a handful that I’m going to watch over the next few weeks. I added everything to the “Notes” section of Letterboxd on my phone. It’s my go-to for movie tracking, and adding notes is a new feature that’s perfect for this.
I’m pretty excited about this little movie marathon I’ve set up for myself. I’ll keep you all posted on how it goes and which movies really hit the spot!
